A private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.A private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.A private investigator is hired by a man who calls himself Louis Cyphre to track down a singer named Johnny Favorite. But the investigation takes an unexpected and somber turn.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 5 nominations
Gerald Orange
- Pastor John
- (as Gerald L. Orange)
Dave Petitjean
- Baptism Preacher
- (as David Petitjean)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWriter and director Alan Parker claims that Robert De Niro's performance as Louis Cyphre was so eerie and realistic that he generally avoided him during his scenes, letting him just direct himself.
- GoofsIn New Orleans, there is a daybill ad for a drive-in movie theater posted on a mailbox, which advertises a showing of Cast a Giant Shadow (1966), released 11 years after the setting. The poster also features the Elvis film "Double Trouble" and the Waylon Jennings film "Nashville Rebel", both from the late 60s.
- Quotes
Louis Cyphre: Alas... how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise, Johnny?
- Crazy creditsAfter the end credits roll, you hear the whisper on a black screen, "Harry? Johnny?"
- Alternate versionsA scene featuring Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet having sex was slightly cut by around 10 secs before release in order to avoid a X rating. The European theatrical version and US video version restore the missing footage.
Featured review
Matures with age and grows on audiences and film connoisseurs alike!
I'm glad I caught this because what was seen by many as a poor film in 1987 can only be seen as great film in 2007. Angel Heart is one of those films that matures with age and grows on audiences and film connoisseurs alike. A psychological horror/thriller is one of the hardest genres for a director to prosper in but if you were to mix in spiritual and religious elements along with a heap of film noir, a touch of romance and a smidgen of jazz then you would set yourself a near impossible task, nevertheless it would be a task in which Alan Parker would succeed.
The direction of this film is masterful as Parker engages us through a meticulous atmosphere littered with mysterious allegories, gut rendering paranoia and an unmatched sense of place. This unmatched sense of place is a symptom of his stark imagery and sombre lighting which is played out through an amalgamation of film noir and the focal iconography of 50s and 60s French New Wave (the use of elevators, ceiling fans, staircases etc).
For many of these reasons and more Angel Heart is a very influential film and its inspirations can be seen in many of the psychological thrillers/horrors released in the past 20 years, it is thought provoking and at times a lot more disturbing than any of its genre equivalents. The multi-faceted love scene in the film is one such example, it plays very well as it is cleverly interspersed with a host demonic echelons which (given its style and narrative position) I believe to be unparallelled, even in contemporary cinema.
Overall Angel Heart is a very well paced and well acted film although initially I felt that having Mickey Rourke in the lead role was a poor choice (based on his more recent work) but clearly he was at his acting best in his younger days almost Oscar-worthy, Robert De Niro is also on form as is the young Lisa Bonet but these performances combined with everything else make Angel Heart a film that will stick with you, not as much as Midnight Express or Mississippi Burning (dir. Alan Parker), but enough to make you ponder why this film wasn't so successful upon its initial release and enough to curse why he didn't spend more time dabbling in the psychological/horror genre.
The direction of this film is masterful as Parker engages us through a meticulous atmosphere littered with mysterious allegories, gut rendering paranoia and an unmatched sense of place. This unmatched sense of place is a symptom of his stark imagery and sombre lighting which is played out through an amalgamation of film noir and the focal iconography of 50s and 60s French New Wave (the use of elevators, ceiling fans, staircases etc).
For many of these reasons and more Angel Heart is a very influential film and its inspirations can be seen in many of the psychological thrillers/horrors released in the past 20 years, it is thought provoking and at times a lot more disturbing than any of its genre equivalents. The multi-faceted love scene in the film is one such example, it plays very well as it is cleverly interspersed with a host demonic echelons which (given its style and narrative position) I believe to be unparallelled, even in contemporary cinema.
Overall Angel Heart is a very well paced and well acted film although initially I felt that having Mickey Rourke in the lead role was a poor choice (based on his more recent work) but clearly he was at his acting best in his younger days almost Oscar-worthy, Robert De Niro is also on form as is the young Lisa Bonet but these performances combined with everything else make Angel Heart a film that will stick with you, not as much as Midnight Express or Mississippi Burning (dir. Alan Parker), but enough to make you ponder why this film wasn't so successful upon its initial release and enough to curse why he didn't spend more time dabbling in the psychological/horror genre.
helpful•646
- luke-346
- Dec 7, 2007
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Linh Hồn Quỷ Dữ
- Filming locations
- St Charles Track Avenue, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA(Streetcar scenes)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $17,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $17,185,632
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $3,688,721
- Mar 8, 1987
- Gross worldwide
- $17,185,954
- Runtime1 hour 53 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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